Internet Access and Underserved Populations

The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) is cooperating with the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC; www.adec.edu) to conduct research at sites participating in the Advanced Internet Satellite Extension Project (AISEP). The AISEP is a $4 million research and development project funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by ADEC. From 2001 to 2005, it brought high-speed Internet access and support free of charge to approximately 60 public learning centers across the country associated with Cooperative Extension.

At the national level, the project brought together partners from the public sector (including Internet2, Cooperative Extension, and ADEC) and the private sector (Tachyon, Inc.). These partners sought to create advanced networking solutions capable of reaching Internet-excluded sites at an affordable price for research, education, and community development. Other key partners critical to this effort include organizations and institutions at the local level, including community colleges, tribal governments, housing authorities, community schools, and cultural centers (to name a few).

NCRCRD is studying the impact of the project at participating sites. We have written four reports describing some of our findings (please check back with us as we continue to add new reports to this web site). They include:

• National Study Preliminary Results (June 2003) (PDF format, 218 kb)
• Facilitator Perspectives from Five Sites in Colorado: Four County/Area Cooperative Extension Sites and One Remote Campus (October 2004) (PDF format, 161 kb)
• Facilitator Perspectives from Two Sites Serving Spanish-Speaking Latino Populations (November 2004) (PDF format, 176 kb)
• Facilitator Perspectives from Five Public Access Sites Serving Ethnically Diverse Communities in the Pacific Northwest (January 2005) (PDF format, 474 kb)

Other reports/presentations include:

• Improving Extension Outreach through Internet Technology: Moving Research into Practice, Presented at the National Diversity Conference in Greensboro, NC (April 2005) (PDF Format, 1,175 kb)
• Linking Research to Policy: Improving Technology Access and Use among Underserved Populations, Presented at the 37th Annual Conference of the Community Development Society, (June 2005) (PDF Format, 1,055 kb)
• "Why Technology Matters in Community Development" by Corry Bregendahl, published in the September/October 2005 issue of Vanguard. Available online at http://www.designsfromafar.com/Vanguard/SeptOct05
• Facilitator Perspectives from Two Sites Serving Rural Economically Disadvantaged Communities in Appalachian Ohio, by Corry Bregendahl and Cornelia Flora (September 2005) (PDF Format, 49 kb)
• Growing up and Growing Old in Rural America: Broadband and Excluded Communities, by Cornelia Butler Flora and Corry Bregendahl. Presented at the Rural Policy Workshop, Growing Up and Growing Old in Rural America. Economic Research Service, USDA and The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy. Washington, D.C. (June 2006) (PDF format, 617 kb)

Results are based on conversations we have had with site facilitators during on-site visits or in-depth telephone interviews. Site facilitators are educators, program coordinators, technicians, and others who provide an array of services to support use of the technology. Facilitators have specialized knowledge about the impact of high-speed Internet as a result of managing and using the connectivity for educational, training, administrative, community development, and/or other purposes.

The purpose of the research is to study the effects of bringing high-speed Internet access to geographically disadvantaged communities in remote and rural areas, and socioeconomically excluded communities with poor or ethnic minority populations. In addition to examining the impact of bringing high-speed Internet access to participating sites, the research is also helping identify the support mechanisms and resources needed to use technology to enhance local assets. In particular, the study strives to identify factors that lead to effective use of technology for widespread community benefit, defined in terms of how the Internet is used to promote any of the following five outcomes:

• Increased use of the skills, knowledge and ability of local people;
• Strengthened relationships and communication;
• Improved community initiative, responsibility and adaptability;
• Sustainable, healthy ecosystems with multiple community benefits; and
• Appropriately diverse and healthy economies.

North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
Iowa State University
107 Curtiss Hall
Ames, IA 50011-1050
(515) 294-8321, (515) 294-3180 fax
For questions, comments or concerns about the NCRCRD website, contact .

Last updated September 5, 2006